Chapter 428

Selene’s POV
I stepped closer to his desk, placing the steaming cup in front of him. “I thought I paused, forcing my voice out. “I thought maybe you could use this. You’ve been under a lot of stress.”
His eyes narrowed sharply, flicking from the cup to me. A frown pulled at his mouth. “What is wrong with you?” he demanded. “One moment you push me away, swear you don’t want me, and the next you’re offering me coffee like some doting lover. Which is it, Selene?”
My throat tightened. I looked away, biting back the storm of words clawing at me. “Nothing,” I whispered finally, my hands curling against my sides.
He studied me for another long moment, suspicion etched across his face. Then, with a sharp inhale, he lifted the cup and took a slow sip.
“That boy,” Frederick said suddenly, setting the cup down. His voice had lost its sharpness, replaced by something heavier. “He is my son.”
My eyes widened, though I stayed silent.
“His human mother died while giving birth to him,” he continued, his gaze fixed on the dark liquid in the cup. “He’s more vampire than hybrid, which makes him… dangerous. Unstable. I keep him hidden because he doesn’t know how to control his thirst.”
I swallowed, my heart thudding as I nodded slowly and pulled the nearest chair. I sank into it, studying him, trying to read the unreadable.
For a while, neither of us spoke. The silence between us was not like before—it was thick, full of unsaid things, the mate bond thrumming in the air.
Finally, I rose. The pull inside me dragged me closer until I stood behind him. My eyes traced the tense lines of his shoulders, the way the weight of the world seemed to press on him even when he sat still.
“You look stressed,” I murmured softly, surprising even myself.
Before I could change my mind, I placed my hands gently on his shoulders. His muscles were stone beneath my palms, hard and stiff. I pressed carefully, kneading the tension with my fingers.
Frederick let out a slow, deep breath. His head tilted forward slightly, his eyes closing.
Then came the sound I hadn’t expected—the low, rough moan that slipped from his throat. It sent a shiver down my spine.
“Yes Frederick groaned under my touch, his voice low and rough. “It’s been ages since I’ve felt this.”
The raw honesty in his tone made my chest clench. I knew he was telling the truth. His body leaned into my hands like he hadn’t been touched in years, and maybe he hadn’t.
But still—this wasn’t just me. This was the mate bond pulling strings, tightening the knot between us. He didn’t know, and I would never tell him.
“Selene,” he rasped, his voice trembling in a way I had never heard before. “What are you doing to me?”
My heart hammered. I knew what it was. The bond. The curse of it. But he didn’t, and he never could.
Before I could pull away, his hand shot up, catching mine. In one swift motion, he dragged me forward, pulling me into his lap. My breath caught as his gaze locked onto mine while I felt his arousal pressing against my ass.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, the words heavy, almost reverent. His thumb brushed my cheek, tracing slowly as if memorizing me.
Heat burned under my skin. My wolf whimpered softly inside me, betraying me.
Then his voice dropped lower, almost teasing, but rough with desire. “Tell me… are you sore? From last time?”
The blood rushed hot to my face. I couldn’t answer. My lips parted, but no words came.
A smirk tugged at his mouth. “There’s only one way to find out.” Updates are released by.net
His hand slipped lower, tugging at the hem of my skirt, sliding it upward inch by inch. My heart raced, my breath caught. The air thickened, hot, suffocating.
But then—like a knife stabbing through haze—the memory hit me.
My mother.
Her death.
My revenge.
The heat in my veins turned sharp. My chest burned with rage.
As his hand brushed dangerously close to my thigh, I let my wolf rise. My blood shifted, dark and toxic, poison threading through my veins.
He didn’t notice. His breath was heavy, hot against my skin.
But I knew.
If he tasted me now—if I let him—he would be swallowing poison.
My wolf growled in disapproval, a low rumble echoing inside my head, but I ignored her. Her protests were nothing compared to the fire in my veins, the poison I had laced into my own blood. My heart pounded as I lifted my eyes to his.
“Feed from me,” I whispered, my voice trembling but steady. “I know you want to.”
His eyes flickered, hunger flashing there for a heartbeat before he tore it away. “No,” he said roughly, his hand tightening on my waist. “You don’t know what you’re asking for.”
Before I could speak again, his fingers slid between my thighs, slipping past my soaked entrance and pushing a single finger inside me. A broken moan fell from my lips, my head tipping back against his shoulder. Heat and poison swirled inside me, dizzying and dangerous.
“Just feed from me,” I gasped, clinging to his arm. “I’m pure blood. I… I want to know what it’s like to be fed from by a vampire.”
He stilled, his forehead pressing briefly to my temple, his breath hot and ragged. “Selene His voice cracked on my name. “Are you sure?”
I swallowed hard, my resolve solidifying even as my wolf howled in my mind, clawing to stop me. If he does feed from me, he dies. The thought burned like acid but I didn’t push it away. “Yes,” I whispered, “feed from me.”
Frederick’s hand trembled against my skin, his finger still buried deep inside me as he nodded slowly. His eyes had gone darker, glinting with hunger.
His finger began moving again, curling, stroking, coaxing sounds from me I couldn’t stop. At the same time, his head dipped lower, his lips brushing the crook of my neck. My pulse thundered there, hot and poisoned, throbbing just beneath his mouth.
His breath ghosted over my skin, each exhale a shudder. “You’re tensed, little wolf,” he rasped, but even as he said it, his fangs grazed my flesh.
My wolf’s growl rose to a snarl, but I tilted my head anyway, baring my throat. “Do it,” I whispered, “Or I’ll give it to someone else
At my words, his hand tightened on my hip, as his mouth hovered over my pulse.